Arc welding operations are known to produce undesirable fumes during the welding process, many of them being noxious to the welder or others in the vicinity of the welding operation. Such fumes, when allowed to accumulate in confined spaces have long been known to constitute a safety hazard, as well as an interference to welder visibility and general welding operation efficiency, and numerous means have been used by the welding industry to dissipate these fumes as they are generated.
One such procedure involves the use of a conduit associated with the welding gun through which undesirable product gases of the welding operation are extracted by means of a vacuum applied to the conduit. The conduit commonly comprises an outer shell defining a hollow conduit through which the gases pass and in which are located a continuous weld wire, a power cable and also a source of shield gas for the welding wire.
The welding gun is connected to a vacuum system, wire feed, electrical power output, and shield gas feed by a flexible hose, which may have an outer corrugated sheath, or may be smooth-surfaced with the interior divided into discrete internal compartments, as described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,823, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
It is conventional to provide a joint at the upstream end of the conduit to permit the various services, namely welding wire feed, control wires, electrical power feed and shield gas feed to be provided to the flexible hose and thence to the welding gun head, while at the same time permitting removal of vacuum extracted gases passing through the hose. Such a joint, usually is in the form of a T and is constructed of metal with appropriate fittings to permit the above-noted activities.